Boston Alliance for Community Health

About Us

True health equity is achieved when every person, regardless of their socio-economic status, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability or any other status, has the opportunity to achieve their full health potential and the highest quality of life appropriate for each stage of life.

5 Strategic Issue Working Groups

BACH is currently using the MAPP process to solve 5 strategic issues in Boston at the neighborhood and city levels.
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Strategic Issue #1: How can we achieve racial and ethnic health equity?

  • Goal: Public and private institutions will adapt, implement and enforce comprehensive policies and practices that achieve racial equity and justice
  • Strategies:
    • Develop a context and shared language
    • Identify and build on models of effective engagement, organizing and accountability
    • Develop an equitable collaborative
    • Develop an equitable and collaborative infrastructure that will include residents, organizations, and institutions that develop policies

For more information, contact Strategic Issue 1 & 5 Working Group Chair, Vivien Morris at  vmorris@bphc.org.

Strategic Issue #2: How can we improve coordination and integration of healthcare and community-based prevention services and activities?

  • Goal: Improve population health by better integration of health care delivery system with community based prevention activities
  • Strategies:
    • Show the return on investment, both financially and quality of life and advocate for equitable funding mechanisms
    • Advocate for an accessible shared data platform for medical providers, public health, community-based organizations and residents to identify problems and track improvements in health including social determinants
    • Develop a system of mutual accountability and transparency for multi-sector commitments to achieve health equity

For more information, contact Strategic Issue 2 Working Group Chair, John Riordan at john.riordan@childrens.harvard.edu.

Strategic Issue #3: How can we build and increase resilience in communities impacted by trauma?

  • Goal: Enhance and build collaborations that consider health in all policies and practices
  • Strategies:
    • Develop and communicate a shared language
    • Develop new and more inclusive ways for getting participation of community members in decisions that impact health
    • Establish a coordinating body that will support communication and implementation of health in all policies and practices

For more information, contact Strategic Issue 3 Working Group Chair, Kay Walsh at kaywalsh13@hotmail.com.

Strategic Issue #4: How can we improve health outcomes by focusing on education, employment, and transportation policies and practices? 

  • Goal: Enhance and build collaborations that consider health in all policies and practices to ensure optimal quality of life within and across all neighborhoods. 
  • Strategies:
    • Enhance and build collaborations that consider health in all policies and practices to ensure optimal quality of life within and across all neighborhoods
    • Develop and communicate a shared language about health in all policies and practices and its importance to decision-makers and community members
    • Develop new and more inclusive ways for getting meaningful participation of community members in decisions that impact health
    • Establish a coordinating body (e.g. committee) that will support communication and implementation of health in all policies and practices work

For more information, contact Strategic Issue 4 Working Group Chair, Margaret Noce at nocemnoce@aol.com.

Strategic Issue #5: How can we increase the number of immigrants, people of color, and other underrepresented populations in leadership roles and decision-making processes?

  • Goal: To increase the number of immigrants, people of color, and other underrepresented residents in meaningful and effective leadership roles and decision-making processes
  • Strategies:
    • Build on existing capacity to develop and support these groups of people for sustained leadership roles through training, mentoring, and change.
    • Support/link with work of strategic issues 1 and 4 to create conditions for balancing and equalizing power.

For more information, contact Strategic Issue 1 & 5 Working Group Chair, Vivien Morris at  VMorris@bphc.org.